Catching Up #CoffeeTalk

Merry Day after Christmas! Is that an actual holiday? I guess it is now plus it was a lot more fun to say than Happy Friday. So how was your Christmas? Did Santa bring you everything that you wanted? I was totally surprised by the Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer that Pete gave me. It was completely out of left field and I can not wait to start making delicious foods with it. Be on the look out for some awesome recipes in the new year.

Today, I am hanging out at the office. I am not a big fan of going shopping on the day after Christmas and I didn’t want to use up all of my vacation time. The Dopey Challenge is right around the corner so I figured I would take this time to get as work done as possible before that insanity begins. Thankfully, the office is pretty quite today so I can take some time to catch you guys up on everything that has been going on in my life since our last coffee date. So go grab one last seasonal beverage and let’s chat!

I already hinted that the Wine and Dine Half Marathon was not the race that I wanted it to be. Besides being a total monsoon, my finish time this year was 25 minutes slower than the first time I ran it. It was a little disappointing, especially since I had been training so hard. I actually lost some of my training ambition. Another cloud over that weekend was my mother’s impending open heart surgery. She was supposed to run that race as her first half marathon but a defective aortic valve prevented her from crossing the finish line with me.

Over the next few weeks, I was completely swamped at work to the point where I had absolutely no energy to stop at the gym on my way home. Before I knew it, the week of Thanksgiving was here and so was my mom’s surgery. That Monday morning, my family met at the hospital to see my mom before she went into the operating room. We ended up spending most of our time at the hospital that week. We even had Thanksgiving dinner in her room. By the end of the week, I was exhausted and truly ok with my decision to not run the Space Coast Marathon.

I was a little disappointed that I wouldn’t have my third marathon under my belt before the Dopey Challenge. I was also upset that I had my first DNS (Did Not Start) … EVER! In the end, I knew that it was the right decision for everything that was going on in my life at that moment. My 30th birthday ended up being rather uneventful. My family ended up going to Outback for dinner and my mom had her first big adventure since being discharged from the hospital.

The week after Thanksgiving was another hectic one at work. I had a crazy deadline on one of my projects and I needed to get things wrapped up before Pete and I went on vacation. I was so overwhelmed by everything that needed to be finished. Once again, I didn’t have the energy to make it to the gym after work. By this time, I was starting to get frustrated with my lack of workouts and I knew that my Dopey training was starting to suffer.

When Pete and I were packing for our 8 day cruise around the Southern Caribbean, we made sure to pack workout clothes. We totally expected to go to the ship’s gym while we were at sea going between the different ports. Unfortunately, I came down with a nasty head cold almost as soon as we boarded the ship. When I finally slowed down, my body made sure to let me know that I was not taking care of it. The head cold lasted for the entire cruise and prevented us from scuba diving in Grand Turk. At the end of the cruise, Pete and I finally realized that we really needed to start focusing on ourselves again.

So for the last month, I have been crazy busy at work, spending too much time at the hospital, getting sick on our birthday cruise, and not training at all. To say that I have started to freak out about the Dopey Challenge would be a massive understatement. Pete and I have been going to the gym again but my body has not been cooperating with me and my legs aren’t even the problem. I finished the race last year and I didn’t have too many issues. I just don’t know if I can do it again this year. My training was finally coming together and then I literally ran into a big brick wall. I have some back to back long runs planned for this weekend. If they go well and my body cooperates with me, I may not be in as much trouble as I believe I am.

About Rachel L.

Rachel is a 30 year old civil engineer by day and a coffee-addicted runner by night. She loves traveling, eating, and enjoying life. Currently, she is living in the Tampa Bay area of Florida with her fiance and their two amazing fur babies.

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Runner’s Tales

Hi, I am Rachel Wright, the coffee loving, Disney fanatic, and marathon running blogger behind Runner's Tales. I am a 30-something Florida girl living near Tampa Bay. I am a full-time civil engineer on a quest to find a healthy balance in this crazy world we live in. Read More…

Footer

Instagram has returned invalid data.

Disclaimer:

I am not a registered dietitian or personal trainer. My blog is simply documentation of my personal journey. All views expressed are mine alone and based on my own personal experiences. They should not be taken as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional before making any changes to your eating habits or physical activities.

Affiliates:

Please note that affiliate links may pop up on Runner's Tales every now and again. I really appreciate your support!